October 7, 2008, Moscow, St.-Petersburg. COMSTAR – United TeleSystems JSC (COMSTAR-UTS, LSE: CMST), major operator of integrated telecommunication solutions in Russia and the CIS provided communication services for the new television and cinema complex of "World Russian Studios" company (RWS) in Saint-Petersburg.

According to an Agreement signed between COMSTAR-UTS and World Russian Studios, the operator acts as a provider of telecom solutions for the new “RWS-Saint-Petersburg" studios, consisting of four pavilions with a total area of 11 thousand square meters. Within the framework of this project on the creation of telecom infrastructure for such a unique facility, Saint-Petersburg branch of COMSTAR-UTS developed on the studios premises a communication control center to completely satisfy its demand in digital telephony providing the employees with more than 100 phone lines along with Ethernet Internet access at a rate of up to 10 Mbit/sec.

COMSTAR-UTS also provided necessary communication services for press center of the working meeting “Russian Cinematography Development” with Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin as its Chairman, held at “RWS – Saint-Petersburg” studios today. The following persons were present at the event: North-West Federal Region Plenipotentiary Representative of RF President, Ilya Klebanov, Saint-Petersburg Governor Valentina Matvienko, Minister of RF Mass Communications Facilities, Igor Shchegolev, and a number of other high ranking representatives of state power institutions, as well as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Joint-Stock Financial Corporation Sistema, Vladimir Yevtushenkov, famous representatives of fine arts, cinema and media business, with Nikita Mikhalkov, Fedor Bondarchuk, Karen Shakhnazarov, Konstantin Ernst, and Oleg Dobrodeev among them.

Saint-Petersburg branch of COMSTAR-UTS, while using the facilities of its proprietary backbone telecommunication New Generation Network (NGN), actively developed at the territory of the City nowadays, provided all the technical facilities for the work of news center during the meeting, the events of which were watched by the dozens of accredited representatives of the leading Russian Media on a real-time basis. COMSTAR provided telephone communication services, granted an Internet access channel with a capacity of 100 Mbit/sec, and deployed a distribution network of Wi-Fi wireless broadband Internet access, with digital IP-TV broadcast zone. Thanks to COMSTAR-UTS the guests of studios and journalists had a chance to familiarize themselves with the TV-channels produced by "Systema Mass-Media”.

“We are proud of our participation in implementation of such a wide-scale project, creation of world-level cinema studios in our city", said Viktor Shmytinsky, Director of Saint-Petersburg branch of COMSTAR-UTS. “The work for this project is an example of efficient cooperation between the companies of various industries, mass media, telecommunication and real estate development, joined within the framework of one holding company - AFK Systema", Mr. Shmytinsky added.

“New cinema studios in Saint-Petersburg are a modern multi-functional complex consisting of a multitude of interrelated blocks, with production, video editing facilities, as well as office, householding, and other auxiliary premises among them”, Sergey Braun, IT-director of the World Russian Studios pointed out. “For such a compound object, quality and reliable communications facilities are of utmost importance. COMSTAR-UTS provided high-tech solutions to equip the studios with telecom means and created superb conditions for both the employees and guests of these studios”, he added.